The July Comics, Part 1 [Spoilers, seriously]

I'm breaking this up into a few parts because I have way too many overlong posts. (Also good news: the novelty of the scanner is starting to wear off! :))

The Atom #1
I'm trying out a few of the new DC titles this month, and this one, I think, will be a keeper. In general I find myself more interested in the older versions of these heroes (particularly after reading Identity Crisis, which highlighted several of them) but the new Atom has a lot of potential. The whole "messages from Ray on needles in the carpet" thing requites a considerable suspension of disbelief (although somehow the talking dog doesn't) but apart from that, definitely a story that brings you back, and a good introduction to a new character.

Although I don't seem to enjoy Byrne's artwork as much as I did 20+ years ago, but that could well be because I now associate him with his writing as well, which I'm not as fond of. There's certainly nothing wrong with the art, it just doesn't seem as exceptional as it once did. Perhaps it just isn't--I think that comic art on the average has improved quite a bit since I was a kid.

Captain America #20
You know, this book has been so good for so long that I've started to wonder when the quality is going to drop, as if it's inevitable--I suppose that's an expectation I've gained over all my years of reading comics. But so far, so good. Particularly nice in this issue: Cap and Spitfire talking about his relationship with Sharon; Lukin's continuing struggles with the Red Skull (Lukin may be strong-willed and evil, but the Skull is the Skull...); and the Winter Soldier's appearances becoming more and more frequent, leading up (one hopes) to a reunion of some sort between he and Cap. Now, what happens after that will be the test of Brubaker's talent. The art, as always, wonderful; if you like realistic--as I do--I've rarely seen better.

Civil War #3
I wasn't planning to discuss the Civil War books, but since I'm getting them (hey, they're better than House of M was!), why not throw a few words that way?

So...WTF is up with Reed Richards here? He was always a bit of an ivory-tower type, but I've never seen him so oblivious to human nature, so entirely lacking in social skills before.

Got a giggle out of the scene between Tony Stark and Emma Frost. Tony: "Tell me, does Cyclops know about that little arrangement we used to have when neither of us were dating?"

And the return of Thor! I'll admit that I was never the biggest fan of Thor--always preferred the more down-to-earth heroes to the godlike and/or cosmic ones most of the time--but he did add something to the Marvel hero mix that has been missing over the last few years, so I was happy to see him.

Civil War: Front Line #4
Although this book is holding my interest (shifting perspectives and so forth) I don't seem to have a lot to say about it. Each one so far has ended with a commentary based on something from literature or history or--this time--popular music, specifically Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon." I haven't cared for any of them so far, and I'm not sure whether it's because I find it over-the top or because I find the comparisons disrespectful of reality somehow. It may be obvious that the Civil War storyline is intended as a reflection of what goes on in the real world, but pointing these things out specifically really seems to weaken the effect, takes you out of the story they're telling.

Civil War: Young Avengers and Runaways #1
I like Young Avengers, I think it's one of the most reliably good books Marvel is putting out these days. I've never read Runaways. Therefore there were large chunks of this book that I probably didn't "get." Maybe next issue. In the mean time, the Young Avengers seem fairly right on, and seeing Cap in Grumpy Old Man mode is kind of fun.

Fantastic Four #538
You know, I was so happy when FF resumed their original numbering. Wonder if they'll do that with the Avengers when New Avengers runs out of steam...

In any case, this is a Civil War tie-in, so of course Reed is being a dick. Marvel's disingenous claims of "there's no right or wrong side" aside, it's pretty clear that at this point the pro-registration folks are portrayed as, at best, well-meaning but misinformed. They are, overwhelmingly, the more intellectual, head-focused types (and their associates), while the heart-focused ones tend to be anti-registration. (Generalizing here, obviously.) Which implies that decisions made rationally are less likely to be right than those made emotionally. (Which is why the folks who are actually giving this some thought are so much more interesting.)

The highlight, for me, was Ben's own struggle with where he stands on the registration issue. If it weren't for his friendship with Reed, Ben would seem likely to be firmly on the anti-registration side (although he is a complex kind of guy), and watching him work his way through this--well, it's the first sign I've seen in this whole Civil War thing of the complexities behind the issue.

4: First Family #5/6
Still not as good as the Avengers origin mini-series. It's all right, but if it was an ongoing, it'd be gone. I think the difference (between it and the Avengers series) is that the changes here seem more like additions than expansions, and it just doesn't seem to work as well. It's not really the book I had hoped for when I started getting it. But they've got one more issue to pull it off, here's hoping!